Secrets and Lies
by BookFanatic12
Summary: What if Mary had been stopped on her way to Francis back in 1x01? Mary now must hide who she truly is to remain safe in the French Court while she waits for her brother to help her. But no one is ever truly safe in court.
1. Chapter 1

**Mary**

"Mary!"

The screams echoed through her as turned to face her young friend Madeline. Colour drained from her cheeks as she saw the girl's distressed look. Her head rang. The edges of her vision darkened and soon there was nothing.

"Mary! Mary, don't move," her friend commanded " you're losing too much blood"

"I... I need... To..." Her heavy bones pinned Mary to the floor as she tried to move.

"Mary, listen to ..." But all too soon Madeline's voice became only a noise to the queen as she fell into darkness.

 **Madeline**

Madeline cursed under her breath as she quickly drew her sword from it's sheath. Although it was not correct for a lady to do so, Madeline thought nothing of it. She had been raised by soldiers and nobles outside of the convent - this had led to her love of weapons. As she expertly held the blade, she raised herself from the Queen's side.

Finding help was critical for their survival - and Mary's only chance to live. But a dark thought formed in her mind as she discovered an awful truth - no one would help them now.

 **Francis**

A FEW DAYS LATER

The Queen of Scots was due any time now and it filled Francis' mind. The young girl he remembered must have changed so much. The thought of his childhood friend becoming his possible wife was too much to comprehend for the prince, but he knew that he was not in charge of his own fate - as much as it displeased him.

As he sat alone in his chambers, the distant trumpets could be heard to signify their arrival. He took a breath as he stood. It was time to meet his bride to be.

The many carriages started appearing and soon four young girls stood there. Francis soon realized that none of these were Mary. A quick glance towards his father uncovered a worry in the back of his mind. His eyes darted between the nobles to his brother to the Scottish ladies ahead of him. The looks of confusion only strengthened his fears. His heart beat faster as he walked quickly towards the new guests to court. As they bowed, a knot grew tighter in is stomach. Francis tried to remain calm as he spoke.

"If I may, do you -"

His words were cut short as he heard the sound of horse hooves on the paved path. He faced a man who looked as if he had faced a war and it reflected in his eyes. With each step the stranger took, Francis realized the something had gone terribly wrong.


	2. Chapter 2

**Madeline**

Madeline had hoped her message had arrived to the French Court as she sat staring at her ill queen. She moved quickly as she tended to Mary's stab wound in her stomach. Sadness swept through her like the sea as she remembered events of the last few days. The English spies had tracked them down and ambushed the carriage when it had been it's most vulnerable in the woods. Madeline had only been there at Mary's request - for company and protection.

It had been an eventful struggle to find the sanctuary at the tavern in the local village. It had cost them many of their jewels to ensure their secrecy. Madeline's mind of dark thoughts was soon broken by the movement of the Queen. Relief filled her as she looked at the girl - who was in fact her half sister. She had been born one year before Mary and was the last of the late King's illegitimate children. Even though Mary was her queen, they shared a friendship that could only be formed by siblings. She had travelled with the queen to the convent and had been sent to the village nearby where she stayed with knights and nobleman. This had meant she had been raised to be more comfortable around swords and arrows than dresses and jewels.

"Why must you look at me like I'm dying?" Mary asked sarcastically.

"To put it bluntly sister, you look like hell." Madeline replied, smiling.

Madeline smiled at her younger sister. She had been so scared of losing her after all they had been through at the convent. Madeline searched the room for a blanket and sighed. It may not have been much, but it was comfortable.

"Has anyone come asking about me?" Mary asked.

"No," she replied peering out of the window. "We are far from the ambush site - I do not even know if the king has my message!"

 **Francis**

"Find her!"

An angry French king stormed through the halls of his home. The enraged monarch had lost his mind after receiving the bad news. Francis had tried to avoid him out of fear of what he might say. Bash looked at him as they spoke in his chambers.

"How long are you planning on avoiding your duties? Until the Queen is found?" he joked but Francis continued to stare out the window.

Francis was filled with shame. Although he was terrified for the Queen's safety - he had an overwhelming sense of relief. Francis had been dreading the moment when he would have had to tell Mary that he didn't intend to marry her. He felt as though he was not only putting an alliance in jeopardy - but could lose an old friend as well.

"Brother, we will find her" Bash called in a vain attempt to reach his brother.

"I know. I just hope it is soon."

 **Mary**

As darkness fell, Mary and her sister prepared their next move. Mary had intended to buy two horses; however Madeline's dwindling funds had stopped this meaning her sister had created her own plan. However, the newest plan was not sitting well with Mary.

"Are you proposing that we pretend to be servants for a visiting French Noble?" Mary was astounded.

"It is the only way I can guarantee your safety to and inside court!" her sister pleaded. "Until James arrives to prove who you are, we cannot just arrive announcing you are the queen - who would believe you?"

Mary contemplated what Madeline had said. No one would believe them. There was no one at French Court that had seen her in the last 5 years - not even her four ladies. They had had to sell any jewels that held the royal crest to remain hidden at the tavern meaning they had no proof of who they said they were.

Mary looked at her sister. Even though Madeline was one year older that Mary, she had been more of a mother to her when they had reached the convent. Her sister was smart, she always made sure her plans were in Mary's best interests and safety. As the queen thought over her decision, the facts showed her that this was the only way. Madeline had pointed out that the family had never met her, meaning they would not be able to recognise her.

Mary knew how to teach (she had taught many girls at the convent) and it seemed like it would be fun to be able to help someone younger develop into a lady. As Mary gazed out of the grimy window of their room, she reached her decision.

They needed to work for the nobleman - even if she was a queen.


	3. Chapter 3

**Francis**

In his ever growing concern for his old friend's whereabouts, Francis had begun to seclude himself. The fears of not only losing a Queen on French soil, an alliance and the possibility of war weighed heavily on his mind. He had attempted to talk to the Scottish guest - the four ladies of Mary - but they were not comfortable speaking to him. In the world of court there were many people to fear - especially to novices. The court was filled with Englishmen who had arrived to help form an engagement between his young brother Charles and an English Noble.

Francis paced his chambers in a bid to remain calm but to no avail. All he could think about was the last time he had saw her.

 _The small queen had hidden in her room for hours after receiving the news. She was leaving for a convent. Francis had barely understood why - knowing it was the only way to keep her safe._

 _"Mary!" he had whispered through the door that linked their rooms._

"Leave _me alone." The sobs had replied._

 _But after what felt like hours the young girl had let the prince in. He had tried to make her smile. But in his heart he knew what she was going through couldn't be fixed so easily. He had pulled her into a hug and felt Mary relax in his arms. All he wanted was for her to remain with him._

 _"You are strong Mary. You will survive this." he had declared, "And soon you will be back here with me, for evermore."_

It had been the children's last conversation before she had left the next morning. Francis had watched from a window as it would have hurt too much to have had to stand in front of everyone. Tears fell as he sat alone in his chambers. All those innocent feelings of love he had had towards her, the promises of being with each other forever as king and queen - he was now backing out of every promise he had ever made to her. And she was missing. What would she say when she found out the truth?

 **Mary**

Even though the two women had never worked like this before, they found it to be enjoyable. Thy had been entrusted to care and teach a young girl called Cateline. Her parents had been intrigued by their extended knowledge but , due to Madeline's quick thinking, believed that they had been taught by their last 'family'. Madeline had woven a tale of two former ladies of an English lady who had lost work due to their 'Mistress' losing all of her money. It was so believable that Mary herself would have believed it - if she did not know the truth.

Mary had grown fond of the child. Cateline's light blonde curls reminded her of Francis while she had eyes similar to her own. Madeline had been quick to point out that she could be what her future heirs could look like. Mary had pondered over this. Although it was her duty to provide heirs, she had never truly thought about it. Would her children look like her or Francis? She smiled at the idea of having a blonde curly haired boy - just like Francis.

"Anne, when will we be arriving?" Cateline asked eagerly.

"I don't believe it is much further." Mary replied as she looked out of the carriage window.

May's stomach twisted. She hoped that Madeline had planned this far ahead. As she looked at her sister with concern, Madeline only nodded. As they sat in silence with the child in between, it was as though she could sense the fear.

"I don't know what is scaring you so much, you don't have to do anything - well except look after me!" The cheeky six year old had laughed.

Even in this great time of terror, the two elder girls laughed - until the the carriage sharply halted.

"Open in the name of the King!"

Mary wrapped a protective arm around Cateline as Madeline pulled back the thick curtain to look into the dark night. As she opened the carriage door, Mary took a sharp breath. She held her breath as she watched her sister step into the darkness. Giving an encouraging smile to Cateline, they too stepped out of the carriage. They all stood with their backs to the carriage, the chill of the evening air making Mary shiver. She saw in the dim flame light that they were outside the gates of Court.

"What is the meaning of this!" Cateline's father had cried.

In all of the confusion, Mary had failed to notice that the child's parents had emerged from their own carriage in front of their own.

"We must search all who enter to see if they know anything about - a missing guest."

Mary gasped as she recognised the voice. It seemed so familiar - and yet so different. She kept her eyes pinned to the floor as the guards made their way towards the three girls. She was determined not to let them see any sign of weakness.

 **Madeline**

 _Damn_

Madeline had not anticipated that they would have been stopped at the gates. She cursed silently at not predicting this - to them, Mary was still missing. As she watched Cateline's parents argue with guards, she focused her attention on a blonde gentleman walking towards them. Out of the corner of her eye she could see that her companions had lowered into bows. Confused she copied her partners until he spoke.

"Excuse us but we heard rumours that your carriage was traveling near the site of an attack. Do you know anything about it?"

As Madeline rose she realised that the man had asked Mary. She noticed that her sister was shaking - but why? Did the man know - it was at this moment when Madeline realised who the mystery man was. Prince Francis. Madeline was certain it was from the descriptions given by Mary - she had never met him as she had stayed in Scotland with James when Mary had previously been in France.

"We heard nothing of it." Madeline lied to save Mary from the risk of being exposed.

Even if Francis had recognised Mary in that moment, it was not safe. It could been have been seen as misleading to take advantage of the Crown if no one believed Francis - he had not seen her for many years. It was safer to wait for James to arrive.

However, it seemed that Francis had taken an interest in Mary as he had not moved on to inspect the rest of the group. Confusion was prominent in his eyes - it was at this moment that Madeline knew that her sister was at risk.

"What is your name?" he demanded.

"Anne - Marie."

Silently, Madeline smiled to herself. Even when her sister was facing dangerous situations, she still had the confidence of a Queen.

"What brings you to court?"

Mary opened her mouth to reply but Cateline beat her to the point.

"She is my tutor and carer - why shouldn't she be here?"

Much to the horror of both Madeline and Mary, Cateline continued to act disrespectfully to her prince. Francis was also clearly shocked at the response but recovered quickly. As he backed away from the girls to speak to the rest of the party, Madeline relaxed and turned to check her sister. As she waited to climb back into the carriage, she noticed that Francis was looking at her. Madeline looked towards the the gates of court with anticipation.

Mary was safe from the English - but she was not so sure she safe from Francis

* * *

 **Hello!**

 **Hope you have been enjoying the first 3 chapters, I have many more planned for this story. Please review because I love to see what you think of this idea!**

 **Hope to see you back here for the next chapter, Bye!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Francis**

It had only been a few hours since the last of the guests had arrived but Francis struggled to sleep. The image of the maid's face would not evade him.

There was something so familiar about her but Francis could not determine what it was. She had seemed so confident even though she had been speaking to the Dauphin.

As he rose from his bed to move to the window, shook his head in disbelief. Why was he so transfixed on a servant?

Mary should be his only priority.

 **Mary**

A FEW DAYS LATER

Mary found herself alone in the chambers that she shared with Cateline and Madeline. Even though she was a queen, Mary had enjoyed the work of a servant amd tutor. She was invisible to all, the duties were simple and she enjoyed teaching Cateline. Mary had found her strengths to lie in music, needlework and had even given her advice on horsemanship when Cateline had been riding with her father.

As she started to clean from the child's morning play, she was joined by servants from the castle, who had come to make the bed. Mary did not think much of it and carried on with her own duties. However she soon grew tired by the gossip they shared.

"I heard that the four Scots are planning to return home."

"Not a chance! The King is showing interest in one of them - Lady Kenna, I believe - may even become the next mistress"

"Francis doesn't seem all that keen to find the Queen of Scotland so perhaps they might leave."

Talk of her friends made Mary drop the doll she was holding. As it crashed to the floor, she quickly dropped down to avoid the glares of the others.

How had she forgotten? She had been the one to ask them to join her in France. Her heart yearned to see them all, to talk to them.

Even though she was shaken by the news of her friends, she was unprepared for what she heard next.

"Speaking of the Dauphin - you know what I overheard? He was telling his father that the match with that Queen isn't a good one! Sounds like he has no intention of marrying her - if they find her that is!"

Mary suddenly went weak at the knees and tumbled to the ground. Then it all went black.

 **Madeline**

"Are you sure she will be all right?" Sebastian said with a concerned look on his face.

"I am quite sure sir."

As Madeline watched the doors swing shut behind him, she turned to face her sister again. She had been horrified to hear that her sister had fainted - and had been surprised when Sebastian had taken her down to the infirmary ( he had been passing by when he had heard the other servants scream).

Suddenly, her sister woke with a start.

"Mary! What happened?"

But as her sister tried to speak, tears ran down her cheeks. Madeline pulled her sister into a tight embrace.

It was several hours later when Madeline finally heard the truth - this situation had turned into a much bigger issue.

 **Francis**

As he stared around the court, his eyes soon rested on a young French girl. He worked out quickly that she was the daughter of one of the visiting nobles. He vaguely remembered an engagement plan between the French girl's father and an English noble. The King had hoped it would bring the two countries closer - but Francis had remained uncomfortable at the prospect of marrying off a girl for political advantage.

As he watched the girl, he saw the worry in her eyes. He watched closely as the child continued to glance to a servant's side door - as if she was waiting for someone to arrive. As he did not have anything to do, he watched the door remain shut for many minutes. But to his surprise, two servants emerged - one looking extremely pale - and made their way to the child. Francis suddenly realized who the servants were.

 _The servants and the cheeky daughter!_

As he smiled at the memory, he couldn't stop looking at the brown haired servant who was speaking with the child. He felt a tinge of concern over her pale complexion which was obscene. But even though they had barely spoken ( and he was the prince while she was a servant) he felt like he wanted to know more.

 **Mary**

Although he was far from he, she could still feel the Prince's eyes on her. She longed to look at her friend but the betrayal she felt was still so strong. As she looked down at Cateline, her heart filled with warmth that was much needed after the previous events. She had hoped to have children of her own one day - not out of duty for Scotland or France. But with the state of her engagement, she did not know whether she would ever be able to have that beautiful dream.

Her thoughts were lost as she turned to face the opening doors and was surprised to feel a hand on her arm pulling her backwards.

"We belong at the back!" Madeline whispered, "You are not a queen now!"

It annoyed Mary how often she had been forgetting her new position - but also nervous. If she continued to make mistakes it could end up costing her.

But even from the back, she could easily make out who they were. It was the family of Cateline's future husband (once she reached of age) and the boy himself. She felt sorry for the young girl. She too knew what it was like to be told who she would marry.

"Duke, I am pleased you had a safe journey." The King said politely to his guest.

"Yes - far better than the Queen of Scotland's it seems. When will she be arriving?" The Duke replied with a sly smile.

Mary felt anger towards the Englishman but found that she could not move - Madeline had a firm grip on her upper arm. even though Mary wanted to walk out and shame him; she knew that it would be the wrong move.

"Where is that girl going?"

Mary forgot about her anger in a second once she realized that it was Cateline they were referring to. As she looked to Madeline, who had a fearful look, they both took off after her. In that moment, they did not care for what they were doing or how it would affect them - they only cared for Cateline.


	5. Chapter 5

**Francis**

As he watched the servants depart after the child, Francis felt a mixture of worry and disgust towards the Duke's behaviour. He dared to glance towards his father and saw the outrage begin to form. In the moment, Francis did he only thing that seemed logical and asked the young boy to follow the servants.

He remembered worrying himself when he first met Mary all those years ago. He saw the boy's own fears as he looked into the green eyes of innocence. A small crowd followed the pair which contained the parents of both children and Francis' parents. He was grateful that none of the other guests had followed as this would probably be easier when fewer people were staring at the children.

As he rounded the next corner, he saw one of the servants with blonde hair - whom he believed to be called Lizzie because he had heard Cateline call her before now - sitting on one of the stone benches. She had sensed their approach and had turned quickly with a certain amount of fear. Francis guessed that it was of what her ward would do if she saw a large group approaching. For a moment their eyes met and she told them to stay there with her eyes. Pulling back a loose strand of her golden hair, she turned back to her friends and whispered something to the other servant. But as soon as he laid eyes on the other - who he believed was called Anne- Marie - be became transfixed by her. He watched carefully as she hugged the small girl to her chest - as though it was her own daughter. Smiling, she helped raise the child between the two women and guided Cateline to face them. The innocent girl's face was a ghost white and was clinging to Anne's hand with all her might - although the servant didn't seem to notice. He snuck another look towards the maid and was intrigued by her.

Although she was a servant - many who had no training - had the grace of a lady. He was drawn to her natural beauty and grace of which no servant should possess - she was a mystery that he wanted to understand.

 **Mary**

"Go on Cateline!" Mary whispered encouragingly in the young girl's ear.

Cateline looked up towards her and Mary could clearly see the fear in her eyes. She had been quiet ever since her and her sister had caught up with Cateline and hadn't muttered a single word to anyone. Mary could understand why she had done it even if the court hadn't. The pressure that had been placed on the child's shoulders was horrible to witness and a terrible burden that she was currently still facing.

Beneath her smiles and encouragement, part of Mary wished that she could stop this from happening. Even though it could benefit France because of the English boy's connections, Mary wanted to put Cateline's welfare and happiness above a gain for France. It seemed odd to Mary that this union was happening as Prince Charles was betrothed to another English noble - surely France did not need this much connection to her rival England?

The wound on Mary's side painfully tormented her as she tried to move Cateline from her position and towards the young boy who stood next to Francis. She prayed that her wound hadn't opened again - but she had a saving grace that it wouldn't be noticed by the party in front due to the heavy fabric and dark colour. She wouldn't let her injury cause a scene as she winced in pain as she lowered herself to ask Cateline again to move. Much to Mary's annoyance, the child refused to move a step further. Just before she spoke to the child again, Mary glanced over towards the young boy, who was trying to hide behind Francis.

The boy had a kind face with chocolate brown hair and dark eyes that were hard to look away from. It seemed that he would turn into a handsome gentleman once he had matured. But Mary could also foresee a difficulty with public speaking if there was no intervention now - she had seen many people have the same issue.

"Cateline! Come meet him at once!" The girl's father called from the other side of the hallway.

Turning to look at her sister, they shared a look of agreement - Mary would have to do more. The nobility was expecting them to help but it would seem rude to say anything as they were only servants. Mary's mind battled between saying something or not until she made the rash decision to approach the boy. Her footsteps were the only noise as her shoes patted the stone flooring. Even though she was no longer facing Madeline, she could feel her sisters horror. Madeline had risked so much to protect her yet Mary defied her wishes and risked a serious consequence.

As she reached the boy, she curtsied and gave him a warm smile. The boy gave her a nervous smile and moved out from behind Francis to see her more clearly. As she stood smiling at the boy, she could feel all of the nobles eyes on her, judging her every move. It had come as no surprise because she was out of line due to her lower status.

"Hello your Grace, may I ask your name?" Mary asked politely, never taking her eyes off the boy.

The boy looked confused at what she had asked - which was a clear sign that he had never encountered anyone who didn't know his name. For a moment, Mary became fearful that he would respond badly to the question. Silence once again fell over the crowd as they waited for the boy to reply.

"William."

She held out her hand to the boy and to Cateline as she turned to stand up. Even though all eyes bore down on her; she remained strong. As the children walked towards each other - each holding one of Mary's hands - she could feel the parents relax. As she turned, Madeline smiled at her.

 **Madeline**

As she watched her sister with pride she could only think of how amazing her sister was. She had an amazing ability of bringing people together and Madeline could only hope it would serve her well in the future.

Fortunately, the sisters were allowed to escape quite soon after as the nobles were going to attend a banquet and did not require assistance from them. But as they were leaving a voice called from behind:

"Annie!"

Mary had only just turned when Cateline barrelled into her a full speed - which nearly made her fall over. Madeline watched as the young girl hugged Mary quickly before darting off again to play with William. Madeline joined in with her sister's laughter as they watched the nobles leave the hallway. But out of the corner of her eye, she saw Francis - who was looking at Mary in a peculiar way. However, Francis soon became aware of Madeline's gaze, he adverted his own. This left her puzzled as she walked off with her beaming sister.

A FEW DAYS LATER

As Madeline sat alone in her chambers one afternoon, she recounted the events of their short time at the court. Even though she was trying to work on her next move, her thoughts kept returning to the day in the halls. The way Francis had looked at Mary throughout the exchange had intrigued Madeline. He had shown feelings towards her sister. Did the Prince of France have feelings towards a common servant? Although it brought her some excitement that the pair would be happy in their union if he liked her as a servant, the dread soon filled her. Francis' feelings could grow - and put Mary's life in even more danger.

 **Francis**

Anne could not leave his thoughts. He felt a longing to know her and see her again. The prince grew frustrated with himself that he had grown attached to her servant he barely knew yet at the same time he didn't want her to leave his thoughts. His fears grew inside of him, he could never marry her and as a prince he could not marry for love. But he was unwilling to marry a queen that he barely knew anymore - he had also been considering all of the problems the alliance could cause for France. Why did his heart have to yearn for someone he could never have?

He paced in his room until he heard laughter coming from outside in the gardens. As he peered out he could see _her._ Suddenly all of the risks and problems seemed irrelevant as he made his way downstairs. Even if they could never become something, he wanted to see her.

* * *

 **Hi guys! I'm so sorry for the long wait! I have been extremely busy away from home on trips to places with no signal! But I will try to get another chapter out soon!  
**

 **Thanks x**


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